That damn carrot

Before I begin it is important to say that Jake's time at St Georges, or the Tooting Hilton as I like to call it, has been characterised by the ceaseless efforts of an extraordinary, dedicated and talented medical team.

Frankly though I am ready to say goodbye to them.

We have been at the Tooting Hilton now for three months and for the past two months the carrot of moving to Poole has been dangled tantalisingly just out of reach.  Each time it is mentioned we hold our breath, praying that Jake will remain stable long enough for the therapists' assessments to be compiled, reports sent to the team in Poole and agreement for referral reached.  So far we have only managed to get as far as the assessment stage before something goes wrong; hydrocephalus, sepsis, emergency surgery, seizures and now a rare bug that Jake is carrying for which there is no standard procedure (those that know Jake well will know how typical this is; no ordinary bug for Jake, oh no!).  This means complicated negotiations between each hospitals' microbiology team...what fun.  Amongst this drama though Jake does seem to be doing quite well and his team remain suspisiously positive.

During this time I have been staying at Sister in Law's London flat, which has been an absolute godsend as it means I have a comfortable base that is just 45 minutes from the hospital and has given me a sense of stability.  However, it is not home.  I want to go home.  I want to have my own kitchen, bed, cat, sofa, office, garden, wardrobe, sky+, bathroom, washing line...I could go on.  Home is also just 1.3 miles from Poole hospital which would mean I could walk down to see my Jake in less than 30 minutes.  I dream of going home.

Today the carrot is so close I almost feel I could touch it; the issue with the bug seems close to being resolved and the fabulous brain injury co-ordinator tells me that she intends to send the reports today and give me the contact details of her opposite number in Poole so I can arrange to visit them ahead of Jake's transfer.

Experience has taught me not to count my carrots though, so I will try and keep a lid on the hope but would ask you to keep your fingers crossed for good news today.